Clumsy Manipulation
by clamshell
Summary: Suzumino Hana has a kekkei genkai... it's powerful and highly-sought, but will the debilitating effects of her blood-line kill her first? And what does this all have to do with Hyuuga Neji?


Chapter 1 – Introductions

I sipped lightly at the cup of tea I'd recently purchased from a nearby vendor. My ladies-man of a sensei, Jun, was less than a meter away chatting up the co-owner of the motel we were currently staying at. Sighing, I tossed the paper cup into the waste bin located near the elevator, and pressed the up arrow.

"Sensei! Quit being a creep, and let's get a move on," I nagged at him, tapping my foot in impatience, "Konoha is only a couple kilometers away. We can make it by sundown if we move now!" He ignored me for a bit until the elevator doors slid open with a ding, and I stepped in. "I'm leaving regardless."

"Hai, hai…" He muttered, sliding his index finger lightly across the woman's chin. Figurative hearts appeared in her eyes and I scrunched my nose in disgust. I'd seen this enough times to know he just swindled his way out of paying for our stay here. He sauntered his way over to the elevator, winking at the woman as the doors began to close.

"You are a bastard, you know that?" I scoffed, turning my head away from him. He only chuckled at my attitude.

"You'll understand when you're older Hana-chan."

"No way! There's no way I would be a dog like you, sensei!" His shoulders slumped comically at my insult.

"Hana-chaaaaan, don't be so cold to your cute sensei!" He whined, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I sighed as he wiggled happily in place. Despite the way this guy acted, he was actually a very talented shinobi. I suppose I should explain to you, dear reader, what exactly is going on here.

My name is Suzumino Hana. My sensei, Suzumino Jun, is my older cousin. Our clan was once very powerful and large in Konoha. Our kekkei genkai, the Sousa, was what our immense influence in Konoha was based upon. It is similar to the Hyuuga's Byakugan in the sense that we can see chakra, but instead of blocking chakra paths, we can manipulate a person's chakra. That includes pulling the chakra straight from their bodies and using it as a weapon. Our fighting styles even matched the Hyuuga's damn near perfectly, except for the fact that we can manipulate chakra from a distance as well as in close-combat. There is one fatal flaw to the Suzumino Clan, though… we are TERRIBLY clumsy. I'm not joking. We are a clan of klutzes. Not only that, but when manipulating the chakra of another, we can't use our own chakra for anything else. Not even for walking on water, or sticking to trees. Often times in battle, you may find us avoiding the use of our kekkei genkai for those specific reasons. When in use, the Sousa greatly diminishes our sense of balance. Some members of the clan have managed to overcome the Sousa curse, like Jun, but for me… it's a completely different story.

You see, I haven't completely activated the Sousa yet. I can see the chakra, but I can't even begin to manipulate it. Because of the Sousa curse, many of our clan members have died in combat, including my parents and Jun's. I'd say the population of the Suzumino Clan has gone from about 500 to 20 in the past 50 years. Anyways, most of the remaining clan members have left Konoha for more peaceful villages. Some have even opted out of ever becoming a ninja for any village out of fear of dying. But not me. It's been a year since I graduated from the academy in Konoha, but due to my circumstances I was not placed on a three-man squad. Instead I was to be taught to control my Sousa by my very talented older cousin, Suzumino Jun. For a year now, we've been abroad to see all the remaining members of the Suzumino Clan to see if they know what is wrong with me. Since the chuunin exams are approaching, we've decided to go back to watch the final rounds. Seeing as how I haven't got a three-man squad yet, I'm not allowed to participate until I do have one. That can't happen, however, until I have my Sousa under control. Jun managed to control his Sousa by age ten, because he's a genius. But I'm not like that. I'm already thirteen, and I can hardly even use my Sousa.

Jun clicked his tongue and shook his head at me. I turned to him with one eyebrow quirked in a questioning glance.

"There's no need to be so glum, Hana." He tried uplifting my mood with a sudden bear hug. My eye twitched in annoyance, and I quickly shot an arm out to whack him over the head. He ducked and slithered out of the elevator just as the doors opened.

"Dammit," I muttered, "You're always on guard, aren't you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Aww, don't be that way!" He flipped his black, gravity defying hair back and forth in an effort to lighten my mood. I smiled at his antics, and he shot an arm in the air in success. "Yosh! Let's get our shit, and go to Konoha!" He began fist pumping as he swung open the door to our motel. I got out a senbon and popped it between my teeth. It was an odd habit I picked up from one of Jun's friends, Genma, back in Konoha.

"You're 23 years old, don't you think you should act your age…" I rolled my eyes when he turned around and stuck his tongue out at me, pulling his cheek down with one finger.

"I'm not old! I'm still just a kid inside!" He sighed dramatically and pretended to cry. I walked across the room, grabbed his backpack and threw it at him while he continued his little scene. As always, he stretched out one arm and caught it reflexively. "Okay, okay… let's go." And go we went.


End file.
